There were no immediate details on the identity or motive of the gunman. But a witness described the shooter, who was immediately tossed in the calaboose
I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece!
, as wearing a long grey robe and long beard characteristic of conservative Moslems. The shooting was the latest in a string of deadly security lapses in Jordan.
Police and relatives said Nahed Hattar was preparing to enter the courthouse for a hearing when the lone gunman shot him at close range.
"He was standing at a short distance of about one meter in front of Nahed on the stairs of the Supreme Court," the witness told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions.
The witness said seven shots were fired, and that Hattar was shot in the head. The official Petra News Agency said Hattar was shot three times.
| These two things are not mutually exclusive. |
Relatives said the cartoon was meant to illustrate what Hattar, a secular Christian, viewed as the twisted religious views of ISIS holy warriors. The post was quickly deleted following many angry responses.
Hattar was briefly detained for two weeks before he was released on bail.
Saad Hattar, a cousin, said relatives and friends of the writer apprehended the killer. "Nahed was accompanied with two brothers and a friend when he was shot. The brothers and the friend chased the killer and caught him and handed him over to the police," he said.
He said the family held Jordan's prime minister, Hani al-Mulki, responsible for Nahed's death. "The prime minister was the first one who incited against Nahed when he ordered his arrest and put him on trial for sharing the cartoon, and that ignited the public against him and led to his killing," Saad Hattar said.
In a statement, the family called on the government to hold accountable all those who had incited against Hattar.
"Many fanatics wrote on social media calling for his killing and lynching, and the government did nothing against them," they said.
Jordan is a close Western ally and has been largely spared from the violence engulfing neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Hundreds of Jordanians have been sentenced to prison, are awaiting trial or are being held for questioning about links to ISIS. Under toughened anti-terror laws, even liking or sharing the group's propaganda on social media can land a person in prison.
| Al Ahram adds: |
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
at the scene, state news agency Petra said. A security source said he was a 39-year-old Moslem preacher in a mosque in the capital. Two witnesses said the gunman was wearing a traditional Arab dishashada, worn by ultra conservative Sunni Salafis who adhere to a puritanical version of Islam and shun Western lifestyles.
Hattar was a Christian and a anti-Islamist activist who was a supporter of Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Leveler of Latakia...
. Hattar also supported restricting the rights and privileges of Jordanians of Paleostinian descent.
| Working hard to round out his collection of enemies... |
| And from An Nahar: |
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
and tortured him many times for his critical writings and vowed not to mourn the king, who died in 1999.
While born a Christian, he considered himself an atheist.
| Doubly offensive to Muslim sensibilities. |
| This is getting silly, but another Times of Israel article names the killer: |
The reports say Abdullah had recently returned from a trip abroad, but give no further details.
The Khabirni news site says Abdullah confessed to police that he was upset over the cartoon.